PR director fired after tweet urging tourists delayed by LAX shooting to head to Newport Beach

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. – The public relations director of a marketing nonprofit has been fired for a tweet he sent urging tourists to avoid the chaos caused by a gunman at Los Angeles International Airport and instead visit Newport Beach.

The Orange County Register reports (http://bit.ly/1dJioU1 ) Jeff Soto, who had worked at Visit Newport Beach for six months, was terminated Monday.

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Soto sent the tweet to nearly 13,000 followers about three hours after a shooter opened fire Friday at LAX, killing a Transportation Security Administration officer.

It read, "Heading out of town on a weekend getaway via LAX? Avoid the chaos and make it a beach vacation here in Newport Beach."

The tweet was deleted an hour later.

The nonprofit's CEO Gary Sherwin says he's "appalled and dismayed by the lack of empathy."